Beautiful Demoiselle

I had a disappointment when I went to the castle for a blip. All the wild areas have been cut down to the ground. Big area of nettles where I saw the stag beetle - gone.  The patches of wild flowers and long grasses where the butterflies feed - gone. The Garden of Remembrance where the tangly briars and wild roses tumble over the old graves - gone.  The bushes where the butterflies go - trimmed out of all recognition.

I imagine that it's been tidied for the weekend's re-enactment and for the weddings that use the castle but for the wildlife it's pure devastation. I shall have a quiet friendly word about it with the castle manager.

Luckily they haven't pulled up the reeds on the moat (yet) which is where I saw this male Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly.